1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control device for locking and unlocking an aircraft door as well as an aircraft door that integrates such a device.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the rest of the description, door is defined as all the devices, such as a flap, hatch or the like, comprising a panel that can block an opening in a wall in a first position and can release it in another position regardless of the shapes, the dimensions, and the function.
An aircraft door comprises, on the one hand, a door frame that is connected to the fuselage of the aircraft, delimiting an opening, and, on the other hand, a flap that is articulated relative to the door frame, able to occupy a first so-called closed position in which it blocks the opening, and another position in which it releases the opening.
Various means can be provided to allow the articulation of the flap relative to the door frame, in particular those that are described in the document FR-2,819,782. These means of articulation are such that they make it possible for the outside surface of the flap of the aircraft to be flush with the outside shell of the fuselage to limit the disruption of the air flows around said fuselage when the flap is in closed position.
In addition, the aircraft door comprises means for locking and unlocking to keep the flap in closed position. If appropriate, these means for locking and unlocking can come in the form of bolts or locks that are provided at the flap and that each are able, in the locked state, to work with a housing or catch that is provided at the door frame. According to another embodiment, the means for locking and unlocking the door comprise stops that are placed on the periphery of the flap and that are able, in the locked state, to rest against stops that are provided at the door frame, whereby the flap is able to move to pass from the locked state to the unlocked state so that the stops of the flap no longer work with the stops of the door frame.
Control devices are generally provided on both sides of the door to ensure the change of state of the means for locking and unlocking the door.
This invention relates more particularly to the control device for locking and unlocking the door that is provided outside of the aircraft, generally called outside handle.
The movement of the handle by an operator thus brings about the change of state of the means for locking and unlocking. If appropriate, the handle can be connected directly or indirectly, by means of connecting rods, for example, to the means for locking and unlocking the door.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, a handle is shown in rest position, in heavy lines, corresponding to the locked state of the means for locking and unlocking the door, and in raised position, in broken lines, corresponding to the unlocked state of the means for locking and unlocking the door.
This handle comprises a body 10 that can pivot around a pivoting axis 12, placed in the plane of the door, whereby the body is able to be placed, in rest position, in a housing 14. The shapes and the dimensions of the handle are adjusted to those of the housing so that the handle blocks the housing in rest position so as to reduce the disruption of the air flows around the shell of the fuselage.
Also, to be able to grasp the handle, the control device comprises a hinged flap 16 that is placed, as appropriate, at the body of the handle or on the periphery. This hinged flap 16 is articulated to be able to occupy two positions, a first so-called closed position in which it ensures the continuity of the shell of the aircraft so as to reduce the disruption of the air flows, and another open position in which it allows the handle to be gripped. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the hinged flap can pivot around a shaft 18 that is integral with the handle, placed in the plane of said handle. According to another variant, as illustrated in the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,831, the hinged flap can be articulated relative to the housing and not relative to the handle.
Advantageously, the hinged flap 16 comprises return means 20 to tend to keep the hinged flap in the closed position.
According to another function of the hinged flap, the latter can also keep the handle in rest position. For this purpose, the control device comprises means for locking and unlocking the handle that can occupy two states, a first locked state in which the handle is immobilized in rest position, and another unlocked state in which the handle can be maneuvered, in particular up to the raised position.
According to a variant that is illustrated by FIG. 2, the means for locking and unlocking the handle comprise, on the one hand, at least one hook 22 that is integral with the housing 14 (kinematically connected to the flap), and, on the other hand, at least one locking shaft 24 that is integral with the hinged flap 16 that is able to be held by the hook 22 in the locked state. According to another variant, the hook can be integral with the hinged flap and the locking shaft that is connected to the housing.
A rigid stop 26 is provided at the housing to limit the travel of the hinged flap, in particular during the transition between the locked state and the unlocked state. This rigid stop 26 generally comprises a stack of blocks to adjust its height H at a rate in particular of the dimensional fluctuations of the hook, the hinged flap and/or the relative position between the hook and the hinged flap. Thus, the height H should be adjusted for each hinged flap. This adjustment operation generates an additional cost, based on the adjustment time. This adjustment time is all the longer since said adjustment has to be made in a painstaking manner.
Thus, if the height H of the stop is too high, the hinged flap cannot pivot enough and the locking shaft cannot come to be immobilized in the hook, and the handle returns to locked position, which can be reflected by a sudden and violent closing of the hinged flap on the fingers of the operator who is closing the door. On the contrary, if the height H of the stop is too low, it is not possible to control the position of the hinged flap, which can be reflected by immobilization of the aircraft on the ground.